Sun is shining on Asian tourism trade

• Section: Current Affairs - Category: Current Affairs

The sun is shining on the tourism trade in Asia-Pacific with double-digit growth notched up in 2010, spurred largely by Chinese and Indian middle classes packing their bags for a break abroad.Strong economies, the proliferation of low-cost airlines and a burgeoning constituency of online shoppers are adding to the region’srosy outlook.There was an 11 per cent rise in arrivals in the region overall last year, according to preliminary data from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). And 2011 is also expected to be a strong year.

“Asia will receive international arrivals at close to double that of the world average growth rates,” PATA’s deputy CEO John Koldowski told AFP

“It’s Asians travelling to Asia, that’s the key to all these numbers and the big shift we are seeing globally in the tourism market. It’s all happening in Asia now.” South Asia reported the strongest arrivals growth with a gain of 14 per cent, highlighting a record year for India which posted 5.6 million foreign inbound visits for the year, a nine per cent increase.

Over 70 million people went to Southeast Asia, 12 per cent up on 2009, with Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines all ratcheting up record growth.

Australia and New Zealand and the Pacific islands also had a record year for tourist arrivals.

The total travel market in Asia Pacific is expected to reach $212 billion this year, reflecting a near five per cent increase over 2010, according to industry analyst PhoCusWright.

Growth in the region is being boosted partly by a newly minted middle class in the enormous populations of China and India – around 46 million Chinese travelled abroad last year, as did over four million Indians, PATA say.

And they take their wallets and credit cards with them.

Chinese travellers spent almost $44 billion in 2009 while travelling overseas, according to data from the World Trade Organization – and that’s excluding the cost of getting there.

“For some markets Chinese and Indian tourists are extremely important,” said Koldowski.

“Indian travellers to Singapore, for example, travel in an average group size of four against an overall average of 2.9 people and spend on average 5.8 days there against a total average of 4.0 days.” The proliferation of low-cost airlines, particularly in Southeast Asia, is also a shot in the arm for the industry.

Carriers such as Malaysia’s AirAsia and Cebu Pacific in the Philippines, among others, continue to expand aggressively.

People from Europe and North America are also heading to Asia and the Pacific in their droves – arrivals from Europe were up 11 per cent to 24 million, PATA say, while arrivals from North America grew by over 10 per cent to 13 million.

“Travel has generally rebounded from the global financial crisis,” Carl Jones, director of advisory services for American Express Business Travel in the region, told AFP

“For developing nations, which make up a large portion of Asia-Pacific, short vacations to neighbouring countries will continue to be most popular. As nations grow, so does their exposure and disposable income, leading to trips to farther afield.

“Asia-Pacific will continue to be a growth engine for travel – for both business and leisure.” And many of those will book their trip online, another area of huge potential growth for the travel trade.

US Internet travel booking giant Expedia plans to launch at least five new Expedia-branded sites throughout Asia, having already recently launched a new site in Singapore.

“Already in 2011, we’re seeing growth rates in markets like Asia that are outpacing the growth that we saw in 2010,” an Expedia spokeswoman told AFP.

“One of Expedia’s primary focus areas in 2011 will be on growing its presence in Asia-Pacific and we plan to invest heavily in the region, as we think the opportunities are immense and in some cases untapped.” Booking through mobile devices and social media is also expected to help the tourism industry grow.

According to industry analysts, such as PhoCusWright, the US travel market is approximately 38 per cent online, Europe is 34 per cent online and Asia Pacific is 21 per cent online.

Expedia recently bought mobile travel application firm Mobiata and EveryTrail, a GPS-enabled publishing platform to create outdoor tours and city guides for mobile devices.

“Consumers will use their mobile devices more and more to research and purchase products and services, including travel, at an increased rate,” the Expedia spokeswoman told AFP.

“Social media and user-generated content will continue to be an important factor in the travel decision-making process, with more travellers than ever relying on reviews, photos and videos, and recommendations from peers.”

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China blogger angered over losing Facebook account

• Section: Current Affairs - Category: Current Affairs

Chinese blogger and activist Michael Anti wants to know why he is less worthy of a Facebook account than company founder Mark Zuckerberg’s dog.
Anti, a popular online commentator whose legal name is Zhao Jing, said in an interview Tuesday that his Facebook account was suddenly canceled in January. Company officials told him by e-mail that Facebook has a strict policy against pseudonyms and that he must use the name issued on his government ID.

However, Anti argues that his professional identity as Michael Anti has been established for more than a decade, with published articles and essays.

Anti, a former journalist who has won fellowships at both Cambridge University and Harvard University, said he set up his Facebook account in 2007. By locking him out of his account, Facebook has cut him off from a network of more than 1,000 academic and professional contacts who know him as Anti, he said.

”I’m really, really angry. I can’t function using my Chinese name. Today, I found out that Zuckerberg’s dog has a Facebook account. My journalistic work and academic work is more real than a dog,” he said.

Zhao said there is a long tradition in China for writers and journalists to take pen names, in part as protection from retaliation from authorities. If Facebook requires the use of real names, that could potentially put Chinese citizens in danger, he said.

”For my fellow Chinese, this policy could easily help Chinese police identify them,” he said.

Dissidents in a variety of countries have argued that Facebook’s policy can endanger human rights activists and others if their identities become known.

Facebook says its policy leads to greater trust and accountability for its users.

It’s not the first time Anti has had problems with an Internet site. In 2005, his blog on a Microsoft site was shut down by the company following pressure from Chinese officials.

Microsoft’s action led to a public outcry.

Zuckerberg recently set up a Facebook page for his newly acquired puppy, ”Beast,” complete with photos and a profile.

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‘Radicalization’ hearings reignite US Muslim debate

• Section: Current Affairs - Category: Current Affairs

A US lawmaker on Thursday was to hold provocative hearings on the alleged radicalization of US Muslims, in a move critics say fans anti-Islamsentiment nearly a decade after the 9/11 attacks. Representative Peter King, the Republican who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, has promised a thorough probe, setting the stage for one of the most controversial congressional debates since the 2001 attacks. “I want (Americans) to realize the extent to which Al-Qaeda is attempting to radicalize within the Muslim-American community,” King said Wednesday in summing up his intent.

The nation’s major Muslim groups, none of which have been invited to testify at the Capitol Hill hearing, and other rights defenders have blasted King’s “fear-mongering.”

“The seven million Americans (who are Muslim)… deserve more than collective guilt by suspicion,” said Shahid Buttar, who heads the non-denominational and non-partisan Bill of Rights Defense Committee.

By trafficking in bias and xenophobia, “Representative King aims to essentially be the (Joseph) McCarthy of the 21st century,” Buttar said.

McCarthyism refers to allegations of treason or subversion without proof, and was coined after the former US senator’s anti-communist witch-hunts in the 1940s and 50s.

King has said that Muslim leaders and mosque imams are doing too little to stop the radicalization of young Americans and are not cooperating with law enforcement. He has also said most US mosques are controlled by extremists.

The charges have alarmed US Muslim communities, the very ones President Barack Obama’s administration insists have been crucial to helping reduce the extremist threat.

Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder shot down King’s assessment that Muslim leaders have not helped law enforcement, stressing that they “have contributed significantly” to thwarting attacks.

“We don’t want to stigmatize, we don’t want to alienate entire communities,” Holder said.

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik of the Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations insisted that King was launching a modern-day “witch-hunt.”

But he and others acknowledged that some American Muslims, while the numbers are small, had indeed been radicalized in the United States.

“We’re not in denial as a community that something is going on,” he said. King is “on to something, but he’s moving in the wrong direction,” he said, voicing the same frustration held by many Muslim leaders, who say they are still viewed with suspicion despite the help they provide to law enforcement.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations expressed concern with how King “has been singling out and stigmatizing the American Muslim community.”

CAIR director Nihad Awad warned that King’s “approach is going to radicalize young people.”

Several rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, insist the probe should be broadened to include all extremist violence, though not extremist thought, which they insist is protected by the US Constitution.

With the battle lines drawn, the congressman at the center of the storm has vowed he “will not back down” on his investigation, which has divided fellow lawmakers.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on Tuesday reiterated his support for the hearings, but fellow Republican and House Speaker John Boehner has been mute on the issue, essentially distancing himself from King.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was “deeply concerned about these hearings, which demonize law-abiding American Muslims who make important contributions to our society.”

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer has also objected to the hearing, saying it “sends the wrong message to the Muslim-American community.”

”We need them to work with law enforcement to identify terrorist threats, not be afraid of them,” he said in a statement.

King said two Muslim-Americans with knowledge of radicalization practices in US mosques will testify, as well as an African-American whose son was radicalized and converted to Islam.

Representative Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to the US Congress, has said he would appear before the committee, in part to offer “an alternative view” to King’s.

CAIR cited a recent study by Duke University that said 11 Muslim Americans have committed domestic terror attacks since 9/11, killing 33 people, compared to about 150,000 murders in the country over the same period.

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We can’t kick Kamran out in the middle of the WC: Waqar

• Thursday, 10 March 2011 13:36
• Written by Muslim News Magazine

Coach Waqar Younis is not willing to dump struggling wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal even after his wodereful performance behind the stumps played a key part in Pakistansuffering one of its worst ever defeats in the World Cup. But all bets are off when the dust settles from the one-day tournament. New Zealander Ross Taylor went onto to score a career-best 131 off 124 balls on Tuesday, with Akmal twice letting the Kiwi batsman off the hook _ on 0 and 4.

The 110-run margin of defeat came close to Pakistan’s biggest ever loss in the World Cup when England recorded a 112-run victory in 2003 at Centurion, South Africa.
“Without a doubt, he dropped catches which really cost us the game,” Younis said of Akmal’s poor work behind the stumps.

“We are in the middle of the tournament, we can’t really sort of kick him out at the moment.”

Akmal has had big question marks hanging over his performance for over a year now since Australia whitewashed Pakistan in test, one-day and twenty20 series last year.

The out-of-form wicketkeeper also erred during Pakistan’s narrow 11-run win over co-host Sri Lanka last week when he twice missed opportunities to stump Kumar Sangakkara.

Akmal also dropped Scott Styris, which would have given captain Shahid Afridi his 16th wicket in the tournament on Tuesday.

Asked whether it was time to think about someone else for the wicketkeeper’s job, Younis insisted the World Cup was not the ideal time to think along those lines.

“After World Cup I think maybe we can think about it,” he said. “We are in the middle of the tournament and I don’t think we can make such a change.”

Younis said Pakistan had a few days before it takes on Zimbabwe on March 14 at Pallekele, near Kandy, but conceded time was running out for Akmal to make amends.

“We have five days off, we will try to rectify his mistakes,” he said.

“In such a short time we can’t rectify all his mistakes but we can always try.”

Pakistan has beaten Kenya, Sri Lanka and Canada in its first three matches while batting first before failing miserably in the run-chase against the confident Black Caps.

Former Australian batsman Ian Chappell, now commentating at the World Cup, was as blunt as ever.

“If his batting was as good as Don Bradman’s,” he said on air, “he couldn’t score enough runs to make up for what he costs them with his keeping.”

Akmal is Pakistan’s latest attempt at a batsman who keeps wicket. He dethroned Rashid Latif and Moin Khan in 2004 and has been behind the stumps since, resisting all attempts to drop him.

Afridi told Pakistan’s private television channel Geo News that the younger Akmal _ Umar _ could replace Kamran at the World Cup.

“It is very much an option and we might try it in the next game,” Afridi said.

“We have five days before the next game so whatever is better for the team we will try it.”

Kamran has a one-day international batting average of 27.25 and has scored 2,835 runs in more than 100 appearances. His elegant batting is widely admired, but his wicketkeeping has overshadowed his batting performances of the past two years.

Pakistan next plays against Zimbabwe on March 14 and victory could ensure it a place in the quarterfinals before the game against Australia on March 19 in Colombo.

Pakistan plans to buy more F-16s

• Section: Tech Info - Category: Latest Tech News

Pakistan is trying to purchase used F-16 fighter jets from the United States to enhance its air capabilities, diplomatic sources told. “We will take as many as they are willing to give,” said a diplomatic source when asked how many of these aircraft Pakistan was seeking.
In 2006, the US Congress agreed to give Pakistan 28 F-16C/Ds under its EDA or excess defence articles initiative. Fourteen of these aircraft have already been delivered.
These are the same that Pakistan purchased from the United States in the 1980s but EDA equipment is almost cost-free.

Some of these aircraft are used for extracting serviceable parts for the existing fleet while those fit for overhauling are inducted into the air force. “Because of the disparity with India, our needs are huge,” said the diplomatic source. “Ideally, we should buy new F-16s but the current economy does not allow us to pay $40-50 million a piece.”
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a lightweight, compact fighter aircraft designed to perform a wide range of military missions. More than 4,000 F-16s have been or will be produced for 24 nations worldwide.

Meanwhile, the US media quoted Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman as saying that while negotiating with the US for more aircraft, Pakistan was simultaneously developing its defence manufacturing capability to reduce its reliance on America.

According to these reports, he told an air chiefs` conference in Melbourne, Australia, that he had made a concerted effort to increase the manufacturing capability of Pakistan`s defence industry because the country has been subject to sanctions and embargoes in the past.

When asked about data links to tie F-16s to JF-17s, Air Chief Marshal Qamar said that Pakistan was working to develop its own solution.

“We have Link 16 on the F-16s. We will not fiddle with Link 16 and not have direct linkages [between the JF-17s] with the F-16,” he said. Pakistan also has different types of airborne early warning and control (AEW and C) aircraft.

Besides AEW and C aircraft, the air force chief said, “We are talking to some western companies about tankers too.”

When asked if Pakistan would like to be part of the Chengdu J-20, fifth-generation fighter programme, the air chief said: “We don`t have any involvement in this development so far. This seems to be an indigenous effort and we will keenly watch it. Obviously, China is a very good friend.” But it will be years before the J-20 becomes operational in the Chinese air force, he added.

Muslim Cops Put Faith, Lives On The Line

• Section: Current Affairs - Category: Current Affairs

When Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca asked Sgt. Muawiya "Mike" Abdeen to set up a liaison unit to local Muslims in 2008, the idea was to build bridges to a community that is often fearful of, or unknown to, law enforcement.
It was tough going at first, said Abdeen, a 23-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department.
"When we used to drive up to a mosque or a Muslim school, people would get scared, they walked away, they closed the doors," said Abdeen, 48.

But the officers kept returning, helping with parking during Friday prayers, giving talks to Muslim youths about safe driving, and meeting with local and national Muslim groups.

Now, Abdeen said, deputies are welcomed with hugs and tea.

"I always tell other officers, 'If you expect the community to talk to you, you have to talk to them, too," said Abdeen, who was born in Jerusalem and came to the U.S. at age 20. "Terrorism is just a small part of it. The community wants to see that the local police department is genuinely interested in helping them solve the daily quality-of-life issues."

As hearings on Capitol Hill raise the specter of "extremist" Muslims who don't cooperate in terror investigations, the thin blue line of Muslim cops and deputies offer a glimpse of American Muslims who put their lives -- and sometimes their faith -- on the line in the interests of security.

Baca said he has no doubts about Muslims' loyalty to America after deputy traineee Mohamed Ahmed was shot and nearly killed by an alleged gang member earlier this year.

"I've worked with Muslim deputies, and I know that Muslim deputies are as courageous as any other deputies," said Baca, who had recruited the Somali-born Ahmed as part of his effort to improve relations between law enforcement and local Muslims.

It's not just Muslims who need to overcome fear and suspicion: Muslim officers often have to brief their comrades on Islamic beliefs and etiquette, which is why Abdeen recently worked with the Muslim Public Affairs Council to develop a 15-minute training video.

In February, Capt. Paul Fields of the Tulsa, Okla., Police Department was disciplined for refusing to attend a "Law Enforcement Appreciation Day" at a local mosque. He quickly filed suit, alleging a violation of his religious rights because he said visiting a mosque to make nice with Muslims is not a police duty.

The greater challenge, however, is forging positive relationships with local Muslims who are wary of undercover FBI agents inside their mosques, or dragnet prosecutions in the wake of 9/11.

House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King, R-N.Y., who will convene the hearings on homegrown extremism, has charged that "the leadership of the (Muslim) community is not geared to cooperation."

Baca, who is scheduled to testify at King's hearings, disputes those charges, saying Muslims have several times led officials to extremist individuals. When there is a lack of cooperation, it doesn't necessarily imply terrorist sympathies.

"It's not that they don't want to cooperate, but because they either don't know that we are there for them, or often because they're scared to reach out to us," said Imam Khalid Latif, a chaplain for the New York City Police Department, which has a few hundred Muslim officers and staff.

Many Muslims are immigrants who come from countries where police are corrupt and brutal, and whose fears are amplified by what some perceive to be an anti-Muslim atmosphere in the United States.

Not that long ago, the idea of a Muslim seeking a career in law enforcement was "something you did not do," said Mubarek Abdul-Jabbar, vice president of the New York City Policeman's Benevolent Association

"They were seen as the enemy and doing that was bordering on treason."

When Abdul-Jabbar joined the department 28 years ago, finding a partner was hard. "A lot of guys didn't want to ride with me because they said you can't trust a man who didn't drink and smoke," said Abdul-Jabbar, 55, whose son is also a member of the NYPD.

Often times, in their quest for acceptance, some Muslim officers will engage in what Abdul-Jabbar calls non-Islamic behavior, like drinking alcohol or swearing.

"You spend a quarter of your life with these guys, so you want to fit in," he said. "These are the guys that are going to back you up. You have to have their support, you don't want anyone thinking, 'Oh he's not a good guy.'"

Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca created a Muslim Community Affairs Unit in 2007 -- a move that has led critics to accuse him of coddling extremism sympathizers.

When former Rep. Mark Souder criticized Baca's relationship with the Council of American-Islamic Relations at a homeland security hearing last year, Baca shot back that Souder was "un-American."

Baca will be back on Capitol Hill on Thursday (March 10) to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee to refute charges by committee Chairman Peter King, R-N.Y., that American Muslims do not want to cooperate with law enforcement.

US missile strike kills five militants in South Waziristan

• Section: Current Affairs - Category: Current Affairs

A US missile strike targeting a compound killed five militants in a Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border on Tuesday, security officials said, updating an earlier toll of four. The strike took place in Landidog village, 20 kilometres (12 miles) west of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan tribal region.
“A US drone fired two missiles targeting a compound, killing five militants,” a senior Pakistani security official told AFP.
He said that militants were using the compound owned by a local tribesman named as Fazal Karam.

CJ SHC appoints Justice Sajjad to investigate forex scam case

• Section: Current Affairs - Category: Current Affairs

Chief Justice Sindh High Court Musheer Alam on Tuesday appointed Justice Sajjad Ali Shah as the investigation officer for the Khanani and Kalia money laundering case and directed him to submit a report within three days, almuslim reported
Earlier on Saturday, Director General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Waseem Ahmed said that the exoneration of suspects in the Khanani and Kalia case was questionable.
Ahmed had alleged that “a large sum of money” was used for the exoneration.

The Supreme Court subsequently took a suo motu notice of DG FIA’s remarks and directed Chief Justice Sindh High Court to thoroughly investigate the matter.

CJ SHC Musheer Alam then appointed Justice Sajjad Ali Shah to investigate the allegations and present a report by March 11.

Court adjourns Raymond Davis’ murder hearing

• Section: Current Affairs - Category: Current Affairs

A court Tuesday adjourned a murder hearing of Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor whom the US government is battling to free on grounds of diplomatic immunity, after his lawyer requested more time.
The hearing in the murder caseagainst Davis took place amid high security in Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore, where he is being held, and was adjourned until next Wednesday.
“March 16 is fixed for the framing of charges because we have given Davis’ counsel all the documents they wanted,” said public prosecutor Abdul Samad.

Davis has claimed he acted in self-defence when he shot dead two men in a busy Lahore street in January.

The issue of his claim to diplomatic immunity is pending before the Lahore High Court, which is due to rule on the issue on March 14.

Asad Manzoor Butt, the lawyer representing the families of the two Pakistani men shot dead by Davis, said that the American had again refused to sign a charge sheet against him. It was given to his lawyer instead, said Butt.

“Davis and his lawyer kept insisting that he has immunity,” Butt said.

“Davis is likely to be indicted during the next hearing,” he added.

Tuesday’s hearing was delayed for several hours before being briefly held amid tight security, with more than 100 armed police deployed in and outside the court and on the roof.

Media were kept from the court’s main entrance, where explosive detectors were installed.

Washington has expressed fears for Davis’ safety in custody, and have said they hold the Pakistani government responsible for his well-being.

Revelations that Davis was a CIA contractor have heaped pressure on Pakistan’s government and further ramped up burning public mistrust of Washington.

A third Pakistani was struck down and killed by a US diplomatic vehicle that came to Davis’s assistance in the January incident.

US officials denied Pakistan access to the vehicle, and the occupants are widely believed to have left the country.

Police have said they recovered a Glock pistol, four loaded magazines, a GPS navigation system and a small telescope from Davis’ car after the January 27 shooting.

The United States postponed a round of high-level talks with Afghanistan and Pakistan following failed attempts to get Davis out, and US lawmakers threatened to cut payments to Pakistan unless he is freed.

White House Seeks to Allay Muslims’ Fears on Terror Hearings

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As a Republican congressman prepares to open hearings on the threat of homegrown Islamicterrorism, President Obama’s deputy national security adviser visited a mosque here on Sunday to reassure Muslims that “we will not stigmatize or demonize entire communities because of the actions of a few.”The White House billed the speech by the adviser, Denis McDonough, as a chance for the administration to lay out its strategy for preventing violent extremism. But the timing was no accident;

Mr. McDonough was in effect an emissary from the White House to pre-empt Representative Peter King of New York, the House Homeland Security Committee chairman, who has promised a series of hearings beginning Thursday on the radicalization of American Muslims.

“In the United States of America, we don’t practice guilt by association,” Mr. McDonough told an interfaith, but mostly Muslim, audience of about 200 here at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, known locally as the Adams Center. “And let’s remember that just as violence and extremism are not unique to any one faith, the responsibility to oppose ignorance and violence rests with us all.”

Mr. McDonough made no explicit mention of the hearings or Mr. King. But his speech came on a day when the back-and-forth over Mr. King’s plans crescendoed, from the airwaves of Washington’s Sunday morning talk shows to the streets of Manhattan to this northern Virginia suburb, a region packed with Muslim professionals, many of whom are extremely wary of Mr. King and his plans.

In Washington, Mr. King, who represents parts of Long Island, faced off on CNN with Representative Keith Ellison, the Minnesota Democrat and the only Muslim in Congress. Mr. Ellison said he would testify at Mr. King’s hearing on Thursday despite his deep conviction that it is wrong for Congress to investigate a particular religious minority.

In New York, 500 people demonstrated near Times Square to protest the hearings and call on Mr. King to expand his witness list to include other groups. 

“That’s absolute nonsense,” Mr. King said in a telephone interview, adding that Al Qaeda is trying to radicalize Muslims and that that effort is the leading homegrown terrorism threat. “The threat is coming from the Muslim community,” he said, “the radicalization attempts are directed at the Muslim community. Why should I investigate other communities?”

As the Times Square demonstrators held up placards declaring “Today I am a Muslim Too,” Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, and Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam who is a co-founder of a project to develop a mosque near ground zero, addressed the crowd.

“To single out Muslim Americans as the source of homegrown terrorism and not examine all forms of violence motivated by extremist belief — that, my friends, is an injustice,” Rabbi Schneier said.

Mr. King and Mr. McDonough each took pains on Sunday to say that he had no quarrel with the other. “We welcome any involvement in the issue,” Mr. McDonough said of the hearings. “It’s an important issue.”

Mr. King said that he and Mr. McDonough had spoken recently and that he did not disagree with any element of Mr. McDonough’s speech at the mosque.

For weeks, Muslims have been expressing deep anxiety over the hearings, which Mr. King has titled “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and That Community’s Response.”

So far, witnesses he has identified include Mr. Ellison; Representative Frank R. Wolf, a Republican from Virginia; and Zudhi Jasser, president and founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy. (Mr. Jasser made headlines last year when he was publicly critical of Mr. Obama’s statement supporting the right of Muslims to build the proposed mosque and Islamic center near ground zero.)

In addition, Mr. King said on Sunday, he will call as witnesses two relatives of people who have been radicalized. He would not name them, but said one had a nephew who was murdered, and the other had a son who committed “horrible crimes.” He said they would detail “how this happened, what it did to their families, what it did to the community, how this originated in mosques.”

The congressman said additional hearings — he is not certain how many there will be — would most likely focus on topics like radicalization in prisons and the flow of foreign money into mosques. But because Mr. King has not been specific about his plans, rumors are swirling. 

“Everybody I talk to worries about it,” Mr. Ellison said during his Sunday morning appearance with Mr. King on “State of the Union” on CNN. He added, “It’s absolutely the right thing to do for the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee to investigate radicalization, but to say we’re going to investigate a — a religious minority and a particular one, I think, is the wrong course of action to take.” 

Yet for many Muslim leaders, the initial outrage and fear is giving way to a determination to participate in the testimony and shape the outcome. Rizwan Jaka, a board member of the Adams Center here, said leaders of mainstream mosques were eager to testify about their cooperation with law enforcement. 

Australia's second wettest summer on record

ONE of the strongest La Niña's on record has ensured summer 2010-11 has been the second wettest on record for Australia.
Tom Saunders, meteorologist at The Weather Channel, said above average rain has been recorded across most of Australia this summer.
"Nationally we averaged 354.7mm, 70 per cent above normal and second only behind the infamous summer of 1973-74 when 419.8mm was recorded," said Saunders.
"This will be no surprise to most Australians considering the flooding which occurred over large parts of the east and north."

All states and territories recorded above average falls. Out of 111 years:

-    Victoria recorded its wettest summer on record
-    Western Australia recorded its second wettest summer
-    South Australia recorded its third wettest summer
-    New South Wales recorded its fifth wettest summer
-    Queensland recorded its sixth wettest summer
-    Northern Territory recorded its eighth wettest summer
-    Tasmania recorded its seventeenth wettest summer

"After a decade of drought, The Murray Darling Basin also recorded its third wettest summer on record," said Saunders.

"Looking ahead into autumn, the La Niña is now past its peak and has been weakening since early January. However, until the Pacific Ocean returns to neutral in winter we can expect above average rain to continue over most of the country."

National focus on Muslim radicalization debate

The White House on Sunday praisedAmerican Muslims for helping fight violent extremism, but a House leader on terrorism issues said they aren't cooperating enough with law enforcement to counter the radicalization of young followers by al-Qaida-linked groups.
Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough, speaking at an interfaith forum at a Northern Virginia mosque, commended its members for taking "an unequivocal stand against terrorism.""You've sent a message that those who perpetrate such horrific attacks do not represent you or your faith, and that they will not succeed in pitting believers of different faiths against one another," McDonough said.

But Rep. Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, re-asserted warnings about al-Qaida terrorists targeting Muslim youth in this country.
"The overwhelming majority of Muslims are outstanding Americans, but at this stage in our history there's an effort ... to radicalize elements within the Muslim community," he said in a preview of his hearing Thursday on the extent of the problem and the Muslim community's response.
"It's there and that's where the threat is coming from at this time," King said in an interview broadcast Sunday.
"I don't believe there is sufficient cooperation" by American Muslims with law enforcement, King said. "Certainly my dealings with the police in New York and FBI and others say they do not believe they get the same — they do not give the level of cooperation that they need."

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Breaking the Muslim stereotype

• Section: Current Affairs - Category: Current Affairs

Less than four per cent Indian Muslimchildren go to madrasas. So logically, it should make no difference whether Maulana Ghulam Mohammed Vastanvi stays on at Darul Uloom Deoband or is sacked. Yet there is something about the current mohtamim (Vice-Chancellor) that has got the country talking — that has got the country's Muslims talking. The VC's troubled presence at the Islamic seminary has triggered a “tradition versus modern” debate that some have audaciously compared to the exploding Arab unrest. The suggestion is that Indian Muslim society is in aspirational churn and Mr. Vastanvi is a surface symptom.

Consider the questions: Why has the Maulana become a hate figure for some in his community and a sign of hope and uplift for countless others? Why has a Facebook fan club, “Fans of Mo. Ghulam Vastanvi,” sprung up for this cleric, when going by his recent record, he ought to have no Muslim supporters, much less an entire fan club? Indeed, what explains the Muslim crowds that gathered to receive this alleged Narendra Modi supporter when he touched down at the Ahmedabad airport recently?

Up until two months ago, not many knew or recognised the Maulana from Gujarat who ran colleges and institutions in the border areas between Maharashtra and Gujarat. Mr. Vastanvi was certainly not among the who's who in New Delhi. In the Capital's theatre of competitive Muslim politics, where a leader's worth was measured by the VIP attendance at his iftaars, the rousing statements he issued, the photo-ops he managed and the crowds he mustered at his rallies, Mr. Vastanvi simply did not count.

Yet the Maulana hit the national stage like a storm. Barely did one digest the information that the new Vice-Chancellor at possibly the world's most influential Islamic seminary was a forward-looking educator and MBA degree-holder, when he turned into a veritable disaster, chased by controversies, hounded by opponents, and forced into a situation where the end seemed imminent. On January 10, 2011, Mr. Vastanvi won the post of rector defeating his nearest rival Arshad Madani, theologist, leader of one faction of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, and a member of the powerful Madani clan whose history of association with the Darul Uloom Deoband was part of folklore. The import of the election was not lost on observers: Mr. Vastanvi had, in effect, challenged the entrenched forces at the seminary. Would he survive the backlash?

Less than two months later, on February 23, the same Majlis-e-Shura (the seminary's governing council), which had declared Mr. Vastanvi elected, reconvened to decide his fate. Would the wise men of the council judge him guilty as charged? Or would the embattled VC convince them that the institution stood damaged — not by anything he was perceived to have done but by the wily machinations and politics of his opponents? The Shura put him on hold — the verdict would come from a three-member committee appointed to probe the disturbances that had followed his appointment.

Vicious commentaries

Many sins had been laid at the door of the Maulana, among them his perceived tilt towards Mr. Modi. For the head priest of the uber-orthodox Darul Uloom Deoband to take the wildly unpopular position that Gujarat's Muslims were not badly off, was incredible in itself. If nothing else, Mr. Vastanvi ought to have known that the wounds of the 2002 anti-Muslim pogrom ran deep. The VC subsequently clarified that he could never have condoned the pogrom; he also issued an unconditional apology in the event the perception remained.

But important sections of the Urdu press were not so easily cajoled. They skewered him: stinging editorials, vicious commentaries and full-page advertisements filled up the newspaper pages even as reporters dug up more dirt: At an October 2010 Eid Milan function in Beed in Maharashtra, Mr. Vastanvi had presented a Radha-Krishna figure to a Hindu Minister. Idolatory was sacrilege in Islam and the papers called for statements and fatwas to be issued against the rector. Chain e-mails transmitted the Radha-Krishna image to millions of Muslims across the world.

Just as the drum beats reached a crescendo, Mr. Vastanvi, quite unexpectedly, began to get support — three Urdu newspapers, Hindustan Express, Jadid Khabar and Nai Duniya dissented. The Hindustan Express systematically uncovered the plot against the Maulana. News Editor Shahidul Islam argued that Islam did not permit flogging a controversy when an apology had been offered. He also showed that the alleged Radha-Krishna image was a small, insignificant picture. In the hands of Mr. Vastanvi's opponents, it had morphed into a life-size deity. The English newspapers picked up the cue, and the theme slowly changed from the indiscretions of Mr. Vastanvi to the gang-up against him.

Support for Vastanvi

But the bigger surprise was still to come. At a gathering at Delhi's Ghalib Academy on February 21, some 300 Muslim clerics, skull cap, flowing beards and all, lined up behind Mr. Vastanvi. They were mainly from western Uttar Pradesh, some among them from Deoband, the cradle of conservative Muslim thought. But here they were, defying the stereotype of the obscurantist Mullah and raising their collective voice against rudiwadi soch (regressive thinking). Nai Duniya editor Shahid Siddiqui used the occasion for some inspired oratory: “This is a revolution not unlike what is happening on the Arab streets,” he thundered to background chants of Allah-ho-Akbar. Mr. Vastanvi derived his significance from being able to bridge the gap between “deen” (religion) and “duniya” (worldly affairs), Mr. Siddiqui said, adding, “Let not people say, there goes the Maulvi who is a terrorist. Let them say, there goes the Maulvi, who is a doctor, who is heart-surgeon.” Later, Maqsood ul Hasan Qasmi, president of the Imam Council of India and the organiser of the meet, would tell me: “As a graduate from Darul Uloom Deoband, I know that students there are thirsting for democracy, reform and modern education. Vastanvi is their hope, and if he is removed, it will send out a bad signal.” None of the speakers gave any credence to the Modi controversy.

This was puzzling. A few years ago, no Muslim, much less a Maulana schooled in Deoband or an Imam offering prayers at a masjid, could have and would have dared publicly defend a person seen as Mr. Modi's friend — whether or not the charge was true, whether or not an apology had been offered. Mr. Vastanvi himself would have been summarily sacked. Obviously, some of the clues for this change were to be found in Deoband.

On the day of the February 23 Shura meet at Darul Uloom, all eyes were on the Mehman Khana (guest house), where Mr. Vastanvi was being grilled. But away from the glare, and in a packed room in a nearby building, a group of Muslim citizens, among them politicians, Deoband scholars, and a sprinkling of Muslim reporters, were in a heated discussion over the place of education in Islam.

When expelled Samajwadi Party leader Naseem Usmani argued that modern education had no place in Darul Uloom, he was roundly rebuffed by the rest: “Do you even know that ilm [knowledge] is the third most recurring word in the Koran? Find us the passage in the holy book that tells Muslims not to broaden their horizon.” I raised the Modi issue and was instantly put down: “We are not saying that Muslims should forgive Modi or forget 2002. But all of you in the secular media want the Gujarati Muslim never to get out of his grieving. Hindu or Muslim, the Gujarati is a businessperson, and that is what Vastanvi was trying to say.”

The words stung but they were true. The Congress and the secular media wanted the Gujarati Muslim forever to fight Mr. Modi but neither was there to protect him. In any case, unbeknown to most of us, the debate seemed to have progressed beyond the rights and wrongs of supporting Mr. Modi. I had a long chat with young Shahnawaz, a student at the Deoband seminary.

Mr. Shahnawaz worshipped the new mohtamim, who even without announcing major reforms, had shown that some things could easily be done, such as building a dining room for the talaba (students). Plate in hand, and waiting in serpentine lines, they currently made a pathetic picture. A brand new filtering system would provide clean drinking water. In time, and given the space he needs, Mr. Vastanvi would also introduce vocational courses.

There are some student firebrands who make a lot of noise, but “most of us have tired of the jalsa-jaloos [procession-protest] politics of the Muslim leadership,” Mr. Shahnawaz said. He was awfully proud of his cousin Saba Karim, who was training to be a pilot in Patna — the first to do so in two decades. “There is no disputing that deeni taleem [religious education] is the foundation of Darul Uloom. But being computer illiterate or not knowing English is not the solution. Right now we cannot even fill up a form,” said the young man, who made a stunning parting remark: “Do you know the Islamic revelation started with the word, iqra, which means to read?”

Muslims have long given up on government. On the plus side, the terrorism label has started to come off, and the sense of siege over identity and security has given way to aspirational hopes and dreams. Naturally there is anger with the old Muslim leadership and its crass opportunistic politics. Time will tell whether Mr. Vastanvi is just another political player or a reformer. For now, an unlikely mohtamim seems to have become a metaphor for change.

Pakistan survive scare from Canada

 

• Friday, 04 March 2011 13:42
• Written by Muslim News Magazine

Shahid Afridi took his wicket tally in the 2011 World Cup to 14 as Pakistan saw off a spirited Canada by 46 runs.Pakistan were skittled out for 184 after 43 overs, indebted to a stand of 73 from Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal. Umar fired four fours and a six in his 48 but swing bowler Harvir Baidwan took 3-35 as the final four Pakistan wickets fell for three runs in 14 deliveries. Jimmy Hansra made a valiant 43 but Afridi struck twice in two balls and snared 5-23 as Canada were 138 all out.

The day after England's shock defeat against Ireland, Pakistan, who were beaten by the Irish themselves at the 2007 World Cup, needed a superb performance from their skipper to avert a similar embarrassment.

Resting paceman Shoaib Akhtar and without injured spinner Abdur Rehman they opted to bat first in cloudy conditions but Baidwan caused problems after coming into the attack as second change, claiming two wickets in his first three overs, including the prize scalp of Younus Khan.

Younus, who scored half centuries in Pakistan's previous victories over Kenya and Sri Lanka, played across one and was lbw for six.

A rescue operation was needed and after Umar drove his first ball sweetly for four, there was a period of consolidation with six overs elapsing without a boundary.

Umar slog-swept Balaji Rao for six but the burly spinner broke the partnership as a defensive prod by Umar saw him adjudged lbw, while four overs later, Misbah, who took 60 balls to hit his first boundary, nudged a wide delivery to the wicketkeeper for 37.

Five umpiring decisions were proved incorrect after referral in the Canadian innings, four by Daryl Harper and one by Nigel Llong.

After two wickets fell for no runs in six deliveries, umpire Harper, who had inexplicably given Ruvindu Gunasekera not out when the ball was arrowing in to middle stump on a full length, was involved in another moment of controversy.

The Australian deemed that Ashish Bagai was lbw to Umar Gul on the back foot when replays projected the ball passing comfortably over the stumps.

Pakistan fielders pointed out to the officials that the batsmen had sought advice from the balcony before deciding to ask for a review - both against the rules and surprising as it appeared obvious that the decision should be queried.

A referral can be quashed under such an infringement but the umpires deemed that a stern warning was sufficient.

Bagai put on a painstaking 28 in more than 12 overs with Zubin Surkari before he was given out lbw to Afridi after a review following umpire Harper's initial rejection.

Surkari was reprieved when a review showed the ball would have clipped leg-stump so umpire Harper's not out verdict stood, but in Saeed Ajmal's next over, Pakistan risked their final review and the official's rejection of the lbw appeal was proved incorrect.

Rizwan Cheema fell to an ugly swipe at Afridi in the next over as the spinners began to exert pressure and the Canadians were reduced to 111-5.

The captain's next over all but ended Canada's hopes, with Hansra - who had batted for almost 20 overs - undone by one that nipped back and Baidwan still playing his defensive shot when a fearsome quicker ball had already shattered his stumps.

Afridi, who moved six clear as the tournament's leading wicket-taker, became the first man in World Cup history to take four or more wickets in three consecutive matches.

Even after completing his spell his inspiration continued when he dismissed Rao with a stunning direct hit from mid-off, the big Chennai-born Canadian resembling an old steam puffer as he jogged forlornly against the throw and was run out by three yards.

Wahab Riaz thudded a delivery into the middle stump to complete a fine comeback from Pakistan, who head into Tuesday's match against New Zealand with their 100% record still intact.

Unsurprisingly Afridi was named Man-of-the-Match but warned improvements needed to be made against the Kiwis. "We did not have good shot selection and I think it's a very good wake-up call for us for the next game," he said.

"Myself and coach Waqar Younis will definitely talk to the boys and this will not happen again. We needed some partnerships and that's what we were missing and that's what the coach was saying. Partnerships are very important."

Court rejects Davis’s plea for immunity; trial to go ahead

• Section: Current Affairs - Category: Current Affairs

A sessions court rejected on Thursday US citizen Raymond Davis’s claim that he enjoyed diplomatic immunity and decided to go ahead with his trial. Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Youssuf Aujla, who is hearing the double murder case against Mr Davis in Kot Lakhpat jail, rejected his plea to postpone the trial till a decision on the immunity issue.
“As the accused has not appended required documents with his earlier application, his plea for immunity is rejected,” Asad Manzoor Butt, counsel for the complainants, quoted the judge as having said.

Talking to Dawn, defence counsel Justice (retd) Zahid Hussain Bukhari said he argued that since the immunity issue had yet to be settled, the court should stop its proceedings till then.

“I also told the court since various petitions relating to Davis’s immunity are being heard by the Lahore High Court, trying the accused right now will be a wastage of time,” Mr Bukhari said.

He said the court, however, rejected his plea saying it had not received any stay order from the superior court.

He recalled that on the last hearing on Feb 25, the accused had himself submitted an application to the court claiming he enjoyed immunity.

Then the court ordered him to engage a lawyer to argue his application in the presence of counsel for complainants on the next hearing (March 3).

Mr Bukhari said he also requested the court to order the prosecution to provide necessary documents relating to challan of the case. “The court accepted the request and instructed the prosecutors to do so,” he added. The court adjourned the hearing till March 8.

Talking about another case registered against Raymond Davis on Jan 28 under Sections 13/20/65 of Arms Act, he said he took the same plea before the judicial magistrate to stop trial of the accused till a decision on the issue of immunity and ensure provision of legal documents pertaining to challan.

“The judge, however, rejected our plea and instructed the prosecution to provide challan papers to us, extending judicial remand of the accused for 12 days till March 15,” he said.